Federal Funding: Where are We?
June 2012
Appropriations time is well underway in Washington, DC. A total of twelve appropriations bill must pass by September 30, 2012 and sequestration cuts will go into effect in January 2013.
Despite some early progress in developing the various appropriations bills, it is possible (and some say likely) that Congress won’t be able to agree on what the final funding will be for all of the appropriations bills. If this is the case, one of two things will happen: a Continuing Resolution will be passed where which will fund the government at last year’s levels—or an omnibus bill that rolls several, or all, of the appropriations bills into one massive package.
On the matter of specific appropriations bills that fund infectious disease R&D, where do things stand now?
Labor, Health and Human Services (NIH and CDC):
• House has not acted on this legislation.
• June 12: Senate Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee passed its funding.
• The bill was voted on by the full committee on June 14. The NIH and CDC received very small increases in funding overall, although some specific programs within each agency received level funding or a small decrease.
State and Foreign Operations (USAID):
• May 17: House Appropriations Committee voted to fund USAID’s global health programs—many programs impacting ASTMH members were level-funded from 2012, including the malaria program.
• May 24: Senate Appropriations Committee voted to increase funding for many global health programs including malaria, which got a proposed $20 million increase, and NTDs, which got a proposed $36 million increase.
• What now? House and Senate must come to an agreement, merging these very different bills into one with all agreeing on the funding.
Department of Defense:
• May 17: House Appropriations Committee voted to fund DoD. The House bill included favorable “report language,” advocated by ASTMH. Senate: no action to date.
Regardless of what is passed through the above process, sequestration will result in automatic across- the-board cuts that are split 50/50 between defense and non-defense programs. It is estimated that sequestration will result in 7 to 10 percent cuts to most discretionary federal programs. If nothing is done to change this course of events, this would cut NIH by $2.39 billion resulting in roughly 2,300 grants that NIH will not be able to award in FY13. The CDC would face a $445 million cut.
The year is still far from over, and while the appeal is a familiar one, policymakers must continue to hear from all who care about this funding. ASTMH continues to weigh in with Congress as the budgets are finalized and we will keep you informed on the appropriations bills and sequestration.